Vietnam’s MicroDragon satellite set for launch in January

MicroDragon is ready for launch on January 17 next year. (Photo: Lao Dong)

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NDO - The launch date for MicroDragon, a miniaturised satellite developed by Vietnamese engineers, has been set for January 17 next year, the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) announced.

The Vietnamese satellite, weighing 50 kilograms, will be launched into orbit along with six other satellites aboard Japan’s Epsilon rocket, from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture.

MicroDragon will be separated from the rocket at an altitude of 511 kilometres, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

MicroDragon was developed by 36 Vietnamese engineers from the VNSC who studied at Tokyo University, Keio University, Hokkaido University, Tohoku University and the Kyushu Institute of Technology, under the guidance of experts from these institutions, from 2013 to 2017.

The satellite will be used to monitor the quality of coastal seawater for the fishery industry, as well as providing imagery for natural disaster response and climate change mitigation.